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"Derik!" she called out, praying that he could hear her above the eerie silence that had once again fallen over the decrepit building. With that, Adam disappeared. Morgan tried to shout Derik's name again, but she didn't hear him shout back. She feared the worst as silence settled over the building like smoke.
Then, after several moments... footsteps.
The dim light from a cracked window illuminated Adam's sinister smirk as he reappeared, dragging Derik's limp body behind him. Morgan's heart pounded in her chest as she watched Adam secure Derik's wrists and ankles with rope before propping him against a rusty cage.
"Nothing special about this one," Adam said dismissively, pointing his gun at Derik's unconscious form. "He's expendable."
Morgan's mind raced, searching for a way to save both herself and Derik. She had to think fast. "Wait!" she blurted out, catching Adam's attention. "I'll join your nest if you let him go. I swear it."
Adam's eyes narrowed, clearly not convinced by her offer. Desperation clawing at her, Morgan tugged up the sleeve of her shirt, revealing the intricate tattoos that covered her skin.
"Look at these," she urged. "You don't have a 'bird' like me in your collection, do you? I'm unique. Surely that counts for something?"
For a moment, Adam regarded her with a calculating gaze, assessing the ink that adorned her body. His silence was suffocating, leaving Morgan to hold her breath as she awaited his response.
"Interesting," he finally murmured, lowering his weapon slightly. "Perhaps there is something special about you after all."
Morgan seized the opportunity, her thoughts racing to find a way to use this to their advantage. As she continued to show off her tattoos, she tried to catch Derik's eye, silently urging him to wake up and act.
"See?" she said, feigning confidence. "I can be valuable to you, Adam. Let Derik go, and I'll prove my worth. You won't regret it."
Adam's expression remained unreadable, but Morgan could see the gears turning in his head as he weighed her proposal. The tense silence stretched on, each second feeling like an eternity.
A wicked grin twisted Adam's lips as he regarded Morgan, his icy gaze sending shivers down her spine. "Alright," he said, the word dripping with both menace and intrigue. "I'll let him go... for now. But you better be worth it."
Morgan's heart raced, her mind scrambling to find a way out of this deadly predicament. She could feel the weight of the extra gun hidden in her belt, a small glimmer of hope amidst the darkness. If only she could get close enough to Adam without him noticing...
He kept the gun pointed at Derik, who was still unconscious, as he fumbled with the rusty lock. The door creaked open, but Morgan didn't dare move just yet.
As Adam stepped into the cage, his eyes narrowed, studying Morgan with a predator's intensity. She tensed, knowing that her chance to strike was rapidly slipping away. But before she could make a move, Adam's hand shot out, grabbing the hidden gun from her belt.
"Did you really think I'd let you get away with this?" he asked, his voice dripping with contempt. “You with your foolish gun… a pathetic and weak tool used by weak people!”
Morgan swallowed hard, her thoughts racing as she searched for any remaining threads of hope. But as Adam's grip tightened on her weapon, she knew the odds were stacked against her. Even though she was terrified, she forced herself to maintain eye contact with Adam, refusing to show her fear.
"Fine," she spat, her voice laced with defiance. "If guns disgust you so much, then let me prove my worth some other way. Just don't hurt him."
Adam's smirk returned, his eyes gleaming with malicious delight. "We'll see about that," he said, the promise of pain and suffering hanging heavy in the air. "But for now, you're coming with me."
With that, he yanked Morgan out of the cage, her wrists still bound, and dragged her into the darkness. Every step further away from Derik felt like a blow to her soul, but she had no choice but to follow Adam's lead.
The rough texture of the rope bit into Morgan's wrists as Adam tightened the knot, ensuring she wouldn't escape his clutches. "You're not going anywhere," he sneered, his breath hot against her ear. The chilling sound of his voice sent a shiver down her spine.
"Derik, please wake up," she whispered to herself, her heart pounding in her chest as she imagined what fate awaited her partner.
"Quiet!" Adam barked, yanking a hood over her head and plunging her world into darkness. Her senses were suddenly deprived; all she could hear was the sound of her own breathing, ragged and shallow, and the distant hum of insects in the night air.
"Walk," Adam commanded, pressing the barrel of his gun against her back to emphasize his point. Desperate to buy time and keep Derik alive, Morgan obeyed, carefully taking each step forward, painfully aware of the uneven ground beneath her feet.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked, trying to sound brave despite the fear clawing at her insides.
"Shut up and move," Adam replied coldly, giving her no hint of reassurance.
As they continued through the darkness, Morgan's mind raced with possibilities. She thought of her father, who had taught her how to identify birds by their songs, and she found herself listening for any familiar calls that might give her a clue about their location.
"Nice try, but you won't find any help out here," Adam taunted, sensing her attempt to gather information. "Just keep walking."
Morgan's thoughts turned inward, replaying the events that had led her to this moment. She couldn't let Adam win – she had to find a way out. For Derik, for the victims, and for herself.
